Gene Notes

Some random and some not-so-random thoughts on family history.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Surname Saturday - Oliphant

Another of my Scottish surnames is Oliphant. I'd like to say that it is a pretty rare surname, but it seems they are all over the place. My most recent Oliphant ancestor would be Mary Grieves Oliphant who married Alexander Maitland. But it is her father about whom this blog pertains.

Alexander Oliphant was born April 20, 1806, in Eckford, Roxburghshire, Scotland, the son of Ralph Oliphant and Margaret Archbald. On December 7, 1837, he married Martha McMekin, widow of John Nisbet with a young child, Joanna.

The small family emigrated to the United States via the port of New Orleans, arriving about April 30, 1838. From there, they made their way to Richmond, Ray County, Missouri.

Alexander was a surveyor, and one of the few photos I have of him, courtesy of one of my Percival cousins, shows him holding a transit.

Tragically, Alexander Oliphant died at the age of 72 from a fall from a balcony in Leavenworth, Kansas.